Comedian Jon Stewart is moving out of his West Village apartment. And it looks like he’s landed himself a prime piece of real estate in Tribeca.

City records show that he bought a 6,000-square-foot Tribeca loft for $5.8 million in late March through a corporate entity named after his cat and dog.

Mr. Stewart married Tracey McShane in 2000. Since then, his fortunes have only fattened, with the book America, written by his Daily Show staff, selling over 1.5 million copies since September 2004, two months after the birth of his son, Nathan.

The loft is famous in the neighborhood mostly because it recently was home to some 1,000 turtles owned by Richard Ogust, who is listed as the seller on the deed. Mr. Ogust declined to comment on the sale.

Publicist Matt Labov confirmed that Mr. Stewart is moving from his Greenwich Village apartment, but wouldn’t elaborate on the details. Prudential Douglas Elliman had listed the loft at $6.2 million.

The spacious Tribeca duplex penthouse features 40 windows offering north, west and east exposures. The palatial loft also boasts a 600-square-foot terrace and 1,200-square-foot private roof.

Considering that the building used to house the Wetlands Preserve-an eco-friendly rock club and activist center-it’s not surprising that turtles once roamed upstairs. Since the club officially closed its doors on Sept. 30, 2001, Tribeca has only become more of a prime destination for upscale buyers.

Architect and developer Peter Moore renovated the building into 27 units, luring an affluent (and non-reptilian) clientele. Mets catcher Mike Piazza closed on a 3,000-square-foot condo last November for around $4.1 million.

But with celebrities moving in, where could the 1,200 turtles go?

In early 2004, the shell-shocked former residents moved to Tewksbury, N.J.-a wealthy rural enclave across the Hudson River, where former Governor Christie Whitman resides. Mr. Ogust became executive co-director of the Tewksbury Institute of Herpetology, a turtle refuge. However, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection didn’t renew the institute’s scientific-holding permit, forcing the peripatetic turtles to find another home.

Hedge-fund executive Daniel Loeb and his wife Margaret recently closed on a 44-foot-wide West Village townhouse for $11.2 million, according to a source close to the deal.

Since it came on the market, Diane von Furstenberg, Gwyneth Paltrow and Leonardo DiCaprio (who reportedly is buying into the nearby Hudson Blue condominium) each paid a visit to the townhouse, said a source close to the deal.

But the art lovers won out!

The couple purchased the home from fellow art collector John Stewart (no relation to the aforementioned fake news anchor).

The massive three-floor, 12,000-square-foot home is a downtown rarity, idyllically situated on a tree-lined, cobblestone street. The eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom townhouse features a garage, elevator and private atrium. Plenty of natural light enters through 60 windows.

Originally built as separate houses in 1857, the two structures were later combined. During the Civil War, the Bank Street property became the Northern Naval Officers Hospital-and it retains the official Navy plaques on its façade to prove it.

Both the buyers and seller are fervent art collectors, and the storied residence has plenty of art-historical significance. The building was owned by the renowned Parisian art publisher and printmaker Atelier Mourlot, whose roster included Picasso, Matisse and Dalí. The downtown fine-art facility also printed American luminaries Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein.

Mr. Stewart kept an extensive art collection at home, which includes over 30 works by acclaimed Russian artist Ilya Kabakov. For private parties, he hired security guards decked out in trendy attire to mix with the chic art-world types, according to The Wall Street Journal. (But can a tight, black turtleneck really hide bulging biceps?)

The Loebs are noted patrons who are helping to support the Whitney Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Remote Viewing: Invented Worlds in Recent Painting and Drawing, opening in early June.

Mr. Loeb is the founder and chief executive of Third Point Management, a New York investment firm. Ms. Loeb received her master’s degree in social work from New York University in May 2004. They married in July in East Hampton, and less than a year later have a remarkable downtown dwelling to house their prized paintings and newlywed bliss.

Exclusive broker Michael Bolla, a specialist in luxury homes, declined to comment on the purchase.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bobby Abreu purchased a luxury condo at One Beacon Court for close to $3.9 million in early April, according to city records. After nine years in the big leagues, Mr. Abreu is one of the game’s top players, appearing in the 2004 All-Star Game. The right fielder can easily afford the lavish apartment; this purchase barely makes a dent in this season’s $13.1 million salary!

“Originally, it was for an investment,” said agent Edward Greenberg. “He had some real estate that he’d purchased and rented out, and he wanted to buy something in New York.”

Off the diamond, Mr. Abreu has become a budding real-estate mogul with a portfolio that extends to Venezuela, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Miami.

At One Beacon Court, residences begin on the 32nd floor, offering the slugger commanding city views.

“You feel like you’re floating over the park,” said broker Jeff Silverstein of Dwelling Quest, who tempted Mr. Abreu with floor plans for the sponsor units in the extravagant building.

Although celebrity buyers often snatch up condos in trendy new developments only to flip them soon after, Mr. Abreu might be planning a long-term stay.

“He likes New York, and he always thought he’d like to have some place in New York after he stops playing,” said Mr. Greenberg.

Since the Phillies have six more games against the Mets at Shea Stadium this season, Mr. Abreu will have the perfect place to crash while his teammates suffer in some ritzy hotel.

The lavishly decorated penthouse at Trump Park Avenue has just landed on the market for $35 million. The showcase apartment features the work of over a dozen prominent designers. However, for the buyer with a specific aesthetic vision for the duplex, the price drops to $30 million for the raw space alone.

Formerly the Hotel Delmonico, built in 1929 and designed by Goldner and Goldner, the building at Park Avenue and 59th Street underwent a condominium conversion. Former Delmonico residents include Ed Sullivan, Oliver Harriman and former Governor Charles Whitman.

Mr. Trump purchased the prewar building in 2001 for $115 million and hired architect Costas Kondylis, who gutted the interior. Now there are 120 luxury condos, including 12 full-floor apartments with a private elevator. The penthouse offers rarefied Park Avenue living without the co-op board hassles.

Since mid-April, New Yorkers have dropped $50 apiece for a tour through the lavish apartment, with proceeds donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Several top brokers were given passes to bestow upon potential buyers, who then mixed it up with the paying rabble.

“I think the best person for this apartment is someone who entertains a lot,” said director of sales Laura Cordovano, gazing up at the grand staircase leading to the second floor. “It really is a beautiful place.”

The 5,200-square-foot penthouse boasts 17-foot ceilings and arched windows. It also includes a master-bedroom suite, kitchen, library, living room and dining room (with views from 32 stories up). The media room features a Sony flat-screen television-now playing Lawrence of Arabia-with a small kitchenette and mini-bar attached for the ultimate in rainy-day entertaining. There are also two guest bedrooms, five bathrooms and a powder room.

A west terrace and a north veranda comprise an additional 1,790 square feet of exterior space. The Zen-like veranda, complete with fountain and rock garden, offers serenity high above the city’s streets.

To avoid harsh juxtapositions between the rooms, the designers all agreed to follow certain fundamental stylistic premises. As a result, there are no jarring aesthetic moments for sightseers moving between the rooms.

“We wanted to have one look throughout the whole house,” said Miguel Flores-Vianna, editor-at-large of Veranda, the upscale shelter magazine that partnered with the Trump Organization on the project. “We tried to re-create a 21st-century version of the grand glamour of the mid-20th century.”

Penthouse tours continue through June 5, so there’s still time to see how the other half (or rather, 1 percent) truly lives.